To this end, the real estate advisor concluded a long-term lease with area developer AM for the lease of 2,150 m2 of office space on the 3rd floor of the newly to be completed multi-tenant office building Helix in Leidsche Rijn Utrecht.
In the modern, sustainable office, the Property Management and Project & Development activities are merged with the Design & Build activities. The consultants who focus on the local Utrecht market and the Global Occupier Services team are also moving to Helix. For Cushman & Wakefield, this step is urgent precisely because of the pandemic because, according to the consultant, the office is "more relevant than ever". AM is developing eye-catcher Helix in the urban living and working area Leidsche Rijn with excellent accessibility by car and public transport. The office, with a total size of 10,000 m2, is based on the new, future function of the office in which movement, meeting and connection are central.
Jeroen Lokerse, CEO Cushman & Wakefield Netherlands: “Although these are very uncertain times due to the pandemic, we believe there is no better time to answer the organizational issue that is now high on the agenda of every CEO: what will be the future of the office and why do your employees go there or not? We are convinced that offices are and will remain indispensable for jointly working on and achieving success, for knowledge exchange, learning, concentration and certainly also for meeting and realizing ambitions together. AM's vision of this development provides us with the best foundation for a post-COVID workplace strategy that meets the needs of our people. A place where they like to go. ”
Raymon van Miltenburg, AM management: “We are very pleased with the arrival of Cushman & Wakefield to Helix to achieve their strategic objectives. For us, Cushman & Wakefield's choice of Helix is a confirmation of our vision to devise and realize an office concept that is not only topical, but also offers added value in the longer term. This means creating a healthy and sustainable working environment with allure where people can meet each other and develop their talents to the full. ”
The recalibration of the advisor's housing strategy previously led to optimization of housing in Eindhoven, Groningen and Zwolle. During the first lockdown in March and April last year, the consultant was the first in the world to develop 6 Feet Office, a concept for safely returning to the office. The new office in Utrecht will be developed under the direction of Project & Development Services (PDS) and with the knowledge of the Total Workplace team of the organization who also played an important role in the realization of 6 Feet Office.
In the previously published "Value of the Office", the consultant argues that the profile of the future population of an organization will be the determining factor for the function of and the need for the use of the office. As a result, office use is rapidly transforming from a real estate issue, often on the basis of the fixed pre-COVID-19 workplace standards imposed by the employer, to an organizational issue in which employees themselves determine the office needs and how they will be fulfilled.